THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS 



ing paradox. There is a time when seeming courage 

 becomes mere foolhardiness ; there are limitations be- 

 yond which the wise man will not strive. There are 

 goals which every man of ordinary endowment must 

 admit to be beyond his reach. 



It becomes then a practical question for every indi- 

 vidual as to what are the proper limits of his ambition. 



There is but one way to decide this all-important 

 question, and that is embodied in Thales' maxim, 

 "Know Thyself." Study your own peculiarities and 

 capacities of mind. In particular compare your own 

 mental attributes with the attributes of those about 

 you. Otherwise your studies will avail nothing, for 

 you are sure to become the victim of self-illusion. Your 

 self-analysis will cause you to emphasise such traits as 

 you desire to possess, and you will visualise yourself 

 as a far different being from what you really are. 



The only real test is the practical one of comparison 

 with others. Just as the would-be champion athlete 

 tests his powers with one competitor after another until 

 finally he finds his level, so you must test your mind 

 against the minds with which it comes in contact until 

 you too know your place. There is more unhappiness 

 in the world because so many people fail to find their 

 proper niche in life than for almost any other single 

 reason. It is not by any means exclusively the case that 

 people aim too high; there are many who from over- 

 modesty aim too low. To these quite as much as to 

 the over-ambitious it will be of advantage to test out their 

 capacities and to learn to know the real measure of their 

 potential abilities. 



